-LRB- AOL Autos -RRB- -- As we 're in the midst of a trend that equates green with cool , just about every automaker is showcasing ecologically-minded concepts at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show . -LRB- Thank you Lamborghini for bucking the trend ... vehicles in their display are powered by gasoline gulping V10s and V12s . -RRB-

Explorer America Concept

Wisely supporting the green trend , Ford chose to combine two important concepts in the debut of a single vehicle , the Ford Explorer America .

Compared to Ford 's current SUV champ -LRB- the regular production Explorer -RRB- , the America concept is smaller , lighter , more efficient and more refined . Moving away from traditional truck-like body-on-frame construction , the America is a lighter-weight unitized design . The styling may be a hint at what a future Explorer might look like .

But even more important than the styling is what 's under the America 's short hood . The V6 engine debuts a combination of technologies that delivers the fuel economy of a 4-cylinder with the power punch of a big V8 . Here are the highlights of the technology that Ford will roll out in the 2009 Lincoln MKS luxury sedan ; the so-called Eco-Boost engine features turbocharging and direct-injection .

Readers with some automotive background know that turbocharging has been around over 100 years and that direct-injection style fuel injection is also not new . Diesel engines have positioned fuel injectors within the combustion chambers for several years . See other hot concept cars ''

However , for the first time , Ford has combined these two features on a gasoline engine . The result is an affordable line of 4 - and 6-cylinder engines that deliver excellent economy , reduced emissions , and impressive power .

The 3.5-liter Gasoline Turbo Direct Injection V6 in the Explorer America is claimed to produce 340 horsepower , more than the base 4.6-liter V8 in a Ford F-150 pickup truck .

Ford also pointed out that while a GTDI engine is more expensive than a similar engine without GTDI , it 's a technology that will pay for itself .

Derrick Kuzak , Ford 's group vice president in charge of Global Product Development told us , `` The EcoBoost technology is affordable . Compared with the current cost of diesel and hybrid technologies , customers can expect to recoup their initial investment in a 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine through fuel economy savings in approximately 30 months . A diesel will take the average driver 7.5 years to save enough on fuel to pay for the option , while the cost of a hybrid will take nearly 12 years of driving to recoup . ''

While we understand the concept of saving fuel and money , we 're not exactly sure what the Explorer America 's implies . Perhaps this is what Captain America would drive ... after all , there 's plenty of room in this 6-passenger mid-size SUV for his shield and other members of the Justice League .

Regarding names , we 'd actually like to see the return of the Bronco nameplate . But we 'd still let Captain America drive if he asked nicely . E-mail to a friend

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Explorer America concept car turns popular model green

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Has 3.5-liter gasoline Turbo Direct Injection V6 engine

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Body is a lighter-weight unitized design